The blowout might reverberate all the way until Friday night's tipoff for Game 3.

Then again, it might not.

"We have to be mature enough to understand Miami has been in this situation," Deng said. "We have to keep playing aggressively."

If the Bulls continue the ball movement that led to 28 assists and 55.1 percent shooting in this game, including 11 of 17 three-pointers, that might not be a problem.

It's becoming clear this series is less about matchups and more about movement.

Simply put, if the Bulls continue pushing the ball up the court—they had a 10-0 edge in fast-break points at one point—and flawlessly executing their draw-and-kick style, it won't matter if the Heat changes from having Wade guard Deng and Eddie Jones shadow Gordon.

"We came out in the third and really got the ball moving and were able to step into some threes and pull away," Skiles said.

Indeed, the Bulls never were hotter than in a 16-3 run that opened the second half—and a 16-point lead.

The Bulls sank seven of their first nine shots, with Gordon scoring five in the spurt.

"I just wanted to be aggressive," Gordon said.

"We didn't have a great lead so I wanted to come out and set the tone. My teammates did a good job of finding me."

Wade scored eight points in an 11-4 run to open the fourth quarter and help the Heat pull within 89-82.

But Deng, who scored the Bulls' first eight points in the quarter, hit back-to-back jumpers for breathing room.

"He didn't let his 1-for-6 start throw him off," Skiles said.

Speaking of starts, Skiles had talked to his team about withstanding an early onslaught from O'Neal and Wade, who both were plagued by foul trouble in Game 1.

When the veteran and no-nonsense crew of Steve Javie, Luis Grillo and Ken Mauer called Ben Wallace for a foul on O'Neal 18 seconds after tipoff, Skiles' words seemed prophetic.

But relentless defense helped the Bulls force a staggering 14 turnovers from that powerful pair.